AfP Statement on the Derek Chauvin Verdict
The U.S. must adopt comprehensive police reforms at the federal, state, and local levels. Failure to reimagine and reform America’s police forces will ensure the ongoing cycle of police-involved killings.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 21, 2021
CONTACT
Linda Zheng | linda@allianceforpeacebuilding.org
Washington, DC - The Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP) welcomes that Derek Chauvin, a former police officer, was found guilty of the murder of George Floyd. However, structural racism and injustice are still leading to disproportionately higher rates of police-involved killings and excessive use of force against people of color. Structural racism is a significant cause of instability and conflict in the United States and police-involved killings are a major spark for mass protests and sporadic violence nationwide.
The U.S. must adopt comprehensive police reforms at the federal, state, and local levels. Failure to reimagine and reform America’s police forces will ensure the ongoing cycle of police-involved killings. Unfortunately, on the same day as the Chauvin verdict, Americans witnessed another police-involved killing in Ohio of a Black teenage girl.
Dismantling structural racism and reforming our police forces requires Americans to work together through meaningful action to build a just and peaceful society. AfP applauds its members undertaking this work, such as Police2Peace, which is building national coherence for police culture change to foster public trust and confidence, and other organizations such as the Equal Justice Initiative, The Minnesota Freedom Fund, and the Center for Policing Equity tackling criminal justice reform. But this work is not enough to dismantle structural racism and prevent police-involved killings.
AfP applauds the announcement today by the Justice Department that they are opening an investigation into whether the Minneapolis police routinely use excessive force. AfP also welcomes the 180 million dollars in the Biden administration’s budget for police reform that includes community policing. The administration must also work with Congress to ensure the passage and implementation of vital comprehensive police reforms including reintroducing and passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020.
Join AfP’s U.S. Peace, Justice, and Democracy Working Group’s weekly webinar series Preventing and Reducing Conflict and Instability in the United States: Shaping What Comes Next every Wednesday at 2:00 to 3:30 EDT through June. This webinar series focuses on the conflict dynamics driving instability, extremism, and toxic polarization in the U.S., and more importantly, the political and policy changes needed to build a society that is just, secure, and fair for all Americans. Register here.
With over 130 member organizations, AfP brings together the largest development organizations, most innovative academic institutions, and influential humanitarian and faith-based groups to harness collective action for peace. We build coalitions in key areas of strategy and policy to elevate the entire peacebuilding field, tackling issues too large for any one organization to address alone.